Michigan Tech College of Business Newsblog

Category: Management: Entreprenuership Concentration

Research Q&A with Elham Asgari

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Elham Asgari
Asgari is an assistant professor of management and entrepreneurship at Michigan Tech.

Elham (Ellie) Asgari, the Charles C. and John G. Gates Professor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, is at the leading edge of entrepreneurship research, studying the formula of success in this high-stakes sector of business. Last month, Dr. Asgari was selected as a recipient of the Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning Instructional Award for Innovative or Out-of-Class Teaching. Asgari’s selection was based on her innovative teaching strategies, including use of crowdfunding campaigns to help Huskies gauge startup interest, and working with students individually to help them prepare for regional and global investment pitches. During the 2022-23 academic year, Michigan Tech student teams collected $67,000 in pitch prize money.

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Elham Asgari Selected for Deans’ Teaching Showcase

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Elham (Ellie) Asgari, assistant professor of management and entrepreneurship, poses in the library
Elham Asgari

Dean Johnson, dean of the Michigan Tech College of Business (COB), has selected Elham (Ellie) Asgari, assistant professor of management and entrepreneurship, as the featured instructor this week in the Deans’ Teaching Showcase.

Asgari will be recognized at an end-of-term luncheon with other spring showcase members and is a candidate for the next CTL Instructional Award Series.

Asgari is being recognized for innovative in-class teaching methods including a crowdfunding campaign where students gauge interest for their start-ups while simultaneously attracting resources; using customer discovery to help students assess start-up potential; connecting students with MTEC SmartZone mentors; advising students in writing SBIR/STTR proposals to attract funding; and working one-to-one with students preparing them for regional and global investment pitches.

“Dr. Asgari brings the role of Gates Professorship in Entrepreneurship and Innovation to life in and out of the classroom. The above-and-beyond effort mentoring students preparing for dozens of pitch competitions is apparent in the results—students earning top awards and prize dollars,” said Johnson.

“The above-and-beyond effort mentoring students preparing for dozens of pitch competitions is apparent in the results—students earning top awards and prize dollars.”

Dean Johnson, dean, Michigan Tech College of Business

From e-pitch opportunities to on-campus traditions like the Bob Mark Business Model Competition to Central Michigan University’s New Venture Competition, Asgari’s work supporting entrepreneurially minded students has resulted in renewed motivation among students, helping them make positive impacts in the campus community and around the world.

Asgari offers the Social Impact Award as part of the Bob Mark event, recognizing students’ societal impacts. In addition, a portion of Asgari’s professorship funding is directed toward sponsoring the New Venture Competition awards, bringing goodwill and collaboration to the University.

Mentoring students in I-Corps workshops and guiding them in applying for I-Corps National Science Foundation grants is also a priority for Asgari. The process assesses market potential of new technological developments and has been successfully awarded to an MTU student.

New to campus is the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization (CEO), a student organization which Asgari serves as an advisor and supports students to attend the CEO Global Conference, where one Husky made it to the top 25 of 600 applicants. In 2022, Asgari also helped launch and execute COB’s Summer Youth Program—”Be Your Own Boss.”

For her impact with hands-on entrepreneurial education at Michigan Tech and beyond, the College of Business is honored to recognize Elham Asgari in the Deans’ Teaching Showcase.

About the College of Business

The Michigan Tech College of Business offers undergraduate majors in accounting, business analytics, construction management, economics, engineering management, finance, management, management information systems, and marketing, as well as a general business option. Graduate degrees include the TechMBA®, a Master of Engineering Management, a Master of Science in Accounting, and a Master of Science in Applied Natural Resource Economics.

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Scholarship Spotlight: Global Elite Bridge Scholarship

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The Michigan Tech College of Business (COB) boasts more than 50 donor- and industry-sponsored scholarships reserved exclusively for new and returning business students. These awards are offered in addition to competitive, merit-, and need-based aid. For 2020-21, total scholarships and grants awarded to undergraduate students in the College of Business exceeded $4.6 million.

This month we highlight the Global Elite Bridge Scholarship.

For donor Peipei Zhao ’09, giving back to his alma mater was an easy decision, particularly when it helps students make connections. The Global Elite Bridge Scholarship, founded in 2020, is allocated for both undergraduates and graduate COB students with a global or international focus. Both domestic and international students are eligible for this renewable award. The inaugural recipient was Asriel Haines (management major with entrepreneurship concentration), who says it was an important factor in making MTU possible.
Asriel Haines
“Because of the Global Elite Bridge Scholarship I’ve been able to focus more on what I want to do for myself and my career. I’m going to be able to go far—not only because I want to—but because of all the support I’m getting,” says Haines.

The MTU esports competitor is also looking forward to taking on the broomball rink and the slopes of Mont Ripley.

Undergraduate recipients of the Global Elite Bridge Scholarship must earn a minimum 2.75 GPA, while graduate recipients must earn at least a 3.0. Questions related to the Global Elite Bridge Scholarship may be directed to business@mtu.edu.

About the College of Business
The Michigan Tech College of Business offers undergraduate majors in accounting, construction management, economics, engineering management, finance, management, management information systems, and marketing, as well as a general business option. Graduate degrees include the TechMBA®, a Master of Engineering Management, a Master of Science in Accounting, and a Master of Science in Applied Natural Resource Economics.


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Elham Asgari Named Michigan Tech College of Business Gates Professor

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The Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship in the College of Business is the 2020-21 Gates Professor.

The Gates Family Foundation partners with communities to address long-term quality-of-life challenges and opportunities. At Michigan Technological University, the position will support student engagement in entrepreneurial activities and contribute to the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem. 

Elham (Ellie) Asgari joined the faculty of the Michigan Tech College of Business after earning her PhD in business management from Virginia Tech. Her research is at the intersection between entrepreneurship and innovation, and primarily focuses on the impact of upper echelons, star employees, and human resources on technological innovation. She has presented at the Academy of Management Annual Meetings and Strategic Management Society conference, among many others, and is published in top-tier journals such as Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, and Expert Systems with Applications.



Her most recent paper titled, “Red Giants or Black Holes? The Antecedent Conditions and Multi-Level Impacts of Star Performers” was accepted for publication in the Academy of Management Annals in fall 2020.

Prior to entering her doctoral program, Asgari worked in industry, specializing in human resource management. She holds an MBA and a bachelor’s degree in engineering.

“With her advanced business and technical background, Dr. Asgari is well-matched for Michigan Tech. The College of Business looks forward to Dr. Asgari leveraging her Gates Professor role in support of the entrepreneurial ecosystem of Michigan Tech, the Keweenaw Peninsula, and across Michigan,” says Dean Johnson, dean of the Michigan Tech College of Business.

In particular, Asgari will promote two of Michigan Tech’s flagship student-based entrepreneurial activities, the immersive Silicon Valley Experience, and the Bob Mark Business Model Competition, in addition to supporting faculty and research in the entrepreneurial area. 

Of the appointment, Asgari says: “I am very excited about this opportunity and look forward to using the capacity of the position to enhance the entrepreneurship program at MTU.”

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The Michigan Tech College of Business is large enough to lead and small enough to care. Our faculty are active in research, yet build close relationships with students. Professors understand Huskies’ career goals and provide them with the knowledge, tools, and experiences to create the future. 

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Spend Your Spring Break in Silicon Valley

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Aerial view of Silicon Valley

Aspiring student entrepreneurs and innovators are invited to apply for the Michigan Technological University Silicon Valley Experience, a spring break tour of California Bay Area companies that includes meetings with entrepreneurs and Michigan Tech alumni who are leaders in their field. The deadline to apply is February 10, 2019; the application form can be found at SVE Experience 2019 Application. Up to 15 students will be selected for this experience. Major funding for the trip is provided by Michigan Tech alumnus Kanwal Rekhi, as well as the Pavlis Honors College Innovation Center for Entrepreneurship and the School of Business and Economics in collaboration with 14 Floors.

Silicon Valley is known for its software giants, high-tech startups, Fortune 1000 companies, innovative culture, and entrepreneurial ecosystem–the environment that affects local/regional entrepreneurship, such as culture, policies, talent, entrepreneurial organizations, regional resources, and networks.

The Silicon Valley Experience will showcase multiple perspectives of a day-in-the-life of successful entrepreneurs, innovators, engineers, and business leaders. This tour provides an interactive opportunity for students to discover more about a variety of industry settings, to sample innovative corporate cultures through tours and presentations, and to meet and talk with successful alumni entrepreneurs.

Image of bicycle outside Google headquarters

Students who apply and are accepted will have the opportunity to:

  • Tour companies like Google, Netflix, Hewlett Packard, Facebook, Ford, Clari, BYTON, Twilio, Autodesk, Waymo, the Porter Vineyard, as well as recent Michigan Tech startup, Handshake
  • Meet with entrepreneurs and innovators
  • Talk with Michigan Tech alumni who are leaders in their field
  • Get answers to your real-world business, innovation, and leadership questions
  • Gain firsthand knowledge of the enterprises that are revolutionizing global business

Lodging, some food, and ground transportation to and from toured companies will be covered. Students will be responsible for arranging and paying for their own air travel. As part of the student application, students will create a two-minute video describing how they will share their experience with the Michigan Technological University community upon completion of their travel in order to positively contribute to our entrepreneurial ecosystem. Students who have a demonstrated financial need can apply for a limited travel scholarship. If you have any questions, please contact Lisa Casper (lcasper@mtu.edu).

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